not very long ago that was a wedge issue bob dole was using against bill clinton. i think we've made progress in other areas. clearly environmentally. we have deniers of global warming. but we're reducing the amount of oil we import and use. there's progress in that regard. on the other hand, there's been some retrogregs in the recognition of two of the great accomplishments of america in the 20th century with social security and medicare. before those two, we didn't have the possibility for the average old person who wasn't wealthy to have a decent existence in retirement. we now that v that and i'm sorry to see that pulled back. there's also an international event. we have to recognize this. from 1940 to 1990, we had very heavily-armed, bad people threatening our existence as a society. we don't have that anymore. we have the thugs. they are not the communists. they don't threaten our very existence. we have an ability now, i believe, to reduce some of the resources and do more things at home. although there's an ideological barrier. >> i know you love the congre